Kimono Sleeve Belted Dress
Introducing a women's sewing pattern for an elegant dress featuring a relaxed-fit bodice with integrated kimono sleeves, a defined waist, and a sleek pencil skirt.
When To Wear
This versatile dress is perfect for a variety of occasions, offering comfort without sacrificing style:
- Professional & Business Casual: Its polished silhouette makes it suitable for office wear or business meetings.
- Daytime Events: An ideal choice for luncheons, gallery visits, or casual elegant gatherings.
- Smart Casual Evenings: Dress it up with accessories for dinner out or social events.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: a comfortable yet tailored silhouette, featuring a relaxed-fit bodice that transitions to a defined waist and a straight pencil skirt.
Neckline: a classic jewel neckline finished with a facing for a clean and smooth finish.
Sleeves: Integrated elbow-length kimono sleeves, providing a relaxed and comfortable drape.
Waist: Emphasized by a wide, separate self-fabric belt that cinches the waist, securing with two buttons at the center back.
Back: Features a center back seam with a concealed zipper for a seamless closure and a back vent for ease of movement.
Length: The skirt falls to a sophisticated knee-length, complemented by elbow-length sleeves.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. This pattern involves techniques such as dart construction, invisible zipper insertion, facing application, and belt creation.
Fabric Recommendations
Choose well-draping dress fabrics that offer both structure and flow:
- Dress fabrics made from natural or blended fibers
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing
- Concealed zipper
- 2 buttons
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, they include seam allowances. If the contour is single, the patterns do not include seam allowances. Seam allowances: all seams 1 cm; hem allowance for sleeve and bodice bottom – 1.5 cm; hem allowance for dress bottom – 2.0 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90cm to 150cm) to determine how much material you will need (don't forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces). When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- From main fabric:
- Upper back - 2 pieces
- Lower back - 2 pieces
- Upper front – 1 piece
- Lower front - 1 piece
- Back neckline facing - 2 pieces
- Front neckline facing - 1 piece
- Belt – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Back neckline facing - 2 pieces
- Front neckline facing - 1 piece
- Belt – 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
- Interface the neckline facings with fusible interfacing.
- Stitch darts on back and front pieces, press allowances towards the center of the pieces. Trim the dart allowance of the upper front to 1 cm and overlock.
- Stitch upper and lower back parts, press allowances upwards and overlock.
- Overlock the center back seam separately on each piece. Stitch the center back seam from the zipper mark to the slit mark, press allowances open. Insert the zipper. Topstitch allowances along the slit 0.2 cm from the edge.
- Stitch upper and lower front parts, press allowances upwards and overlock.
- Stitch shoulder seams simultaneously with sleeve seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock. Stitch side seams and lower sleeve seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Stitch shoulder seams of neckline facings, overlock the outer edge. Place dress and facing right sides together, aligning neckline edges, and stitch. Clip allowances at curves, turn facing to the wrong side and press. Attach facing to shoulder seams and to zipper tape.
- Overlock the hem allowance of the dress and sleeve bottom, press to the wrong side and topstitch.
- Fold the belt in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch, leaving an opening on the long side for turning. Turn the belt right side out, shape and press. Sew the technical opening closed. Overlock buttonholes, sew on buttons.
